Fenix International, a leader in Nigeria’s pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar industry announced the change of name to ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria at a press conference held in Lagos on June 29, 2021. Already a company of ENGIE, the world’s largest independent electricity producer, Fenix International started operations in Nigeria back in 2018 as part of ENGIE’s ambition to expand its footprint in Africa. The name change is a result of ENGIE integrating Fenix International with ENGIE Mobisol, another solar home systems company; and mini-grids provider, ENGIE PowerCorner under one entity and one name – ENGIE Energy Access. This integration puts ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria in a unique position as the only energy player offering end to end off-grid energy solutions with both solar home systems and mini-grids under one roof.
At the event, which attracted many industry players, including Government Functionaries, Energy Sector regulators, Industry Leaders, Financial, Technical, Distribution Partners and a host of other Stakeholders, Bankole Cardoso, Managing Director of ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria informed the audience that the company is poised, not only to bridge the gap in access to electricity in Nigeria, but also actively contribute to the improvement of the country’s relatively poor energy statistics.
“As Fenix International, we only offered solar home systems, and with ENGIE Energy Access we are now able to offer both solar home systems and mini-grid solutions to our customers. Our decentralized solutions cover the full spectrum of energy needs from basic lighting and phone charging (with our basic kit selling for N44,500 and can be paid off in 20 months) to more advances systems for households all the way to powering productive use equipment to promote entrepreneurship and boost economic activity in rural communities across Nigeria.
So far, we have had great success by impacting the lives of over 200,000 Nigerians and we have ambitious growth plans to scale even faster and wider across Nigeria, allowing us to bring our clean, reliable, and affordable energy to millions of Nigerians over the next five years”.
With operations in 11 states across Nigeria (Lagos, Kwara, Oyo, Kogi, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Ondo and Niger), Bankole highlights the important role partnerships with organizations like Paga, MTN, Enugu State Government, DSTv, Nigeria Rural Electrification Agency, and many more have played in the company’s success to date.
“Our business is a unique one, as we are serving customers who are considered high risk and often overlooked. We are grateful to our partners for deciding to take this journey with us to not only grow our business, but the wider PAYGo Solar and renewable energy industry in Nigeria. We look forward to continued success with our current partners and are open to working with many more partners.”
Universal electrification is the seventh of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that the global community has committed to achieve by 2030. With Africa (and by extension Nigeria) accounting for a major part of the population of people without access to electricity, Cardoso is confident in the role that ENGIE Energy Access will play in changing Nigeria’s access to energy statistics.
About ENGIE Energy Access
ENGIE Energy Access is one of the leading Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) and mini-grids solutions provider in Africa, with a mission to deliver affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions and life-changing services with exceptional customer experience. The company is a result of the integration of Fenix International, ENGIE Mobisol and ENGIE PowerCorner; and develops innovative, off-grid solar solutions for homes, public services, and businesses, enabling customers and distribution partners access to clean, affordable energy. The PAYGo solar home systems are financed through affordable instalments from $0.19 per day and the mini-grids foster economic development by enabling electrical productive use and triggering business opportunities for entrepreneurs in rural communities.
With over 1,700 employees, operations in nine countries across Africa (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), over 1 million customers and more than 5 million lives impacted so far, ENGIE Energy Access aims at remaining the leading clean energy company, serving millions of customers across Africa by 2025.
